


A Slythery Christmasss

by ElvaDeath



Series: The World of Draco Malfoy [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blaise Zabini is a Good Friend, Blaise is Fabulous, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas at Malfoy Manor, Far too many tags but i'm too tired to think, Fluff, Gay Draco Malfoy, Good Blaise Zabini, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Good Pansy Parkinson, Good Theodore Nott, Ice Skating, Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Black Malfoy is a Good Parent, POV Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson is a Good Friend, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Secret Santa, Snow, Supportive Narcissa Black Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21961444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElvaDeath/pseuds/ElvaDeath
Summary: Christmas special for 'What's Left Behind', but you don't have to have read it to understand. If you haven't read chapter 11 of WLB and are reading it, go do so now, as this contains SPOILERS.Eighth year, and Draco Malfoy has returned to Malfoy Manor for Christmas. He was expecting a grim holiday, trying to avoid the ghosts of his past, but his friends insist upon joining him and his mother.Fluff ensues.- E.D.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson/Blaise Zabini
Series: The World of Draco Malfoy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580998
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	A Slythery Christmasss

**Author's Note:**

> Fwoof! Christmas is almost over! Sorry for updating this so late, you can imagine how busy the last two days have been. Anyway, now you can relax and read some adorable Slytherin gang time. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, and enjoy!  
> \- E.D.

Spending Christmas at the Manor was not Draco’s first choice. But with his mother trapped there indefinitely, he couldn’t stay at Hogwarts and leave her all alone in such a place. Fortunately, however, Pansy had thrown a fit when he had announced he wouldn’t be staying, and insisted the whole lot of them follow him to the Manor. So there they were, Christmas day, tumbling out of the gloom into the frosty morning of Christmas. His mother trailed after them, humming an obscure Christmas tune, the happiest he’s seen her since the war started.

“Race you to the lake!”

Theodore sets off instantly, right on the tail of a hysterically laughing Pansy. Blaise curses, and shoots off, snow flying from his boots. Grinning, Draco woops and sprints after them, knowing he has no chance of catching up, yet revelling in the mindless chase. He gapes as his mother floats past him on an enchanted chair, beautiful hair flowing in the wind. She winks at him, then speeds ahead, ignoring his cries of unfairness.  
She arrives first at the lake, although none of them accept her win as genuine. Theo is crowned victor instead, although his delighted beam is instantly wiped off his face as he is told his prize is to be the first to go on the ice.

“No! No way. I can’t ice skate!” He protests, eyes widening like a disappointed puppy. “Can’t someone else do it?”  
“No. Now get on there, you great hunk of muscle! I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Pansy smirks, tilting her head and batting her eyelashes obnoxiously.  
He groans, hesitantly stepping towards the ice. “But… what if I… fall in? The ice might crack…”  
“It won’t. That’s the benefit of having enchanted weather.” Draco says, glancing at his mother. “Outside the Manor, it isn’t even cold enough for frost to form. So go on! You’re perfectly safe.”

Sighing in resignation, Theo pokes a foot out, and carefully steps onto the ice. He squeezes his eyes shut, but of course nothing happens. Draco’s not a liar.  
“Oh, come on, you big baby! Blaise, let’s show them how it’s done.” Pansy twirls to him, twisted black and green scarf flicking out.  
“As you wish, my lady.” Blaise grins, taking her hand and leading her onto the ice. Having visited the Manor as children, both have been constantly in competition with Draco for the best ice-skater. The results of the rivalry are plain to see.

They weave in and around each other, elegantly swooping and diving, almost like a choreographed dance. It’s a stunning display, and judging by the smug expressions they carry, they know it. Theo stares in wonder, still too terrified to step out further.  
“Darling, we can’t have the guests as entertainment.” Draco’s mother says from her chair, fur lining every item of clothing she has. “You must take Theo for a spin.”  
“Yes, mother.” He smiles at her, then steps out confidently onto the ice. What she really means is: ‘get that smug look off their face and make Theo less embarrassed’.

“Shall we?” He holds out a hand to Theo, who watches it nervously.  
“Are you sure I won’t just be an embarrassment. I meant what I said; I really can’t ice skate.”  
“Don’t worry. I’ll stop you from falling. Do you trust me?”  
He glances up at Draco’s face, startled, then his mouth quirks into a smile. “Always.” He takes Draco’s hand.

Draco tries to start off simple, teaching Theo how to not fall over, then how to propel himself, then how to direct where he wants to go. It takes a while, but eventually he can skate mostly on his own. By this time Pansy and Blaise have taken to simply skating around the edge, wrapped in each other’s arms, occasionally twirling away from each other to perform an elaborate jump.

“I think it’s time to show them what we’re made of.” Draco takes Theo’s hand again, bringing them to a halt. “All you have to do is not let go of my hand, and try not to fall over. Ready?”  
“Ready.” Theo nods, determination sparking in his eye.

They begin, Draco spinning around Theo, letting his weight balance out with him. Theo just skated around the lake, like he had before, but Draco made sure that it looked far more complicated. Pansy and Blaise slid to a halt, watching them carefully.  
“Up!” Draco hisses once they are about to pass them, and Theo instinctively lifts him. Draco, light as a feather, spins in the air and breaks away from Theo to land, then does another equally intricate jump to return to him. Pansy and Blaise cheer, their voices ringing out through the pinching air.

Once Draco has felt he has done all he can, they slide to a halt. Theo is beaming again, a pleased flush spread over his cheeks and nose, absorbing in the praise of the others like a sponge. Draco’s heart soars at the expression, delighted to have made him so happy.  
“Well done, my darlings. Perhaps some hot cocoa is in order?” Draco’s mother suggests, eliciting eager nods and sounds of agreement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Let’s start.”

They’re sitting in the nicer living room, the one usually reserved only for family. However, Draco’s friends are more like family than anyone he knows (bar his mother, but she’s always the exception), so it’s right that they should be here. The Yule Tree, smaller than their usual official one, is in the corner and stuffed with perfectly arranged decorations. Courtesy of Blaise, due to his growing distaste for anything out of place. 

In fact, Blaise had spent a whole day dragging their group around to tidy every room they would set foot in, and even insisted on cleaning Draco’s disaster of a bedroom. The house elves had tried to clean Draco’s room before the start of the school year, but he had thrown a pillow every time they had. Experience had led them to believe it was wise to not clean it after he left, and now that Blaise had set them loose on it, it was mildly terrifying how efficiently they combed it down.

The living room in which they sat is the constant torture of Blaise. However often he insisted to tidy it, the room seemed to accumulate mess. Perhaps it missed the chaos of Draco’s childhood. The room is probably the only one that did, apart from Draco himself.  
Today, however, it had decided to behave. Draco’s mother, sitting next to the tree, has always had that kind of effect on the Manor. Pansy and Blaise are sprawled over a large sofa, and Draco has his back against Theo’s knees, as usual. Theo’s in a low armchair, one hand curled around his third mug of hot cocoa, and his other hand playing with Draco’s hair.

“I rather think it’s the host's job to go first, wouldn’t you say, Draco?” Blaise offers, smiling at Draco innocently. Draco sighs, picking up his neatly wrapped present and frisbeeing it at Blaise’s head. No matter how hard everyone keeps it a secret, every year Blaise manages to know who has bought who presents. Draco doesn’t understand why they keep calling it ‘Secret’ Nicholas anymore.

“How wonderful. Surely whatever present our dearest Draco has given me will not disappoint.” He declares, suspiciously examining the tiny parcel.  
Draco only smiles, settling back against Theo. “Open it and find out.”  
Raising an eyebrow, Blaise peels open the package (without ripping any of the paper, of course, because Blaise has those sorts of superpowers) and peers inside.

“What is it?” Pansy sits up, eyes focused on the box, but Blaise tuts at her.  
“Ah, ah, ah, my present from Draco. Don’t get jealous.” He jokes. Pansy rolls her eyes and collapses backwards.

He takes out a tiny box, smaller than his hand, a rich dark blue velvet. Opening it, confusion spreads across his face. “Sorry, darling, you should know I’m not-”  
“Look at the note, idiot.” Draco smirks, delighting in the painfully curious look on Pansy’s face. Blaise picks the note out, calligraphed carefully just to please Blaise. Blaise snorts as he reads it, startling himself, and instantly places the note inside the box and shuts it. His face is a satisfying shade of beetroot, which of course makes Pansy intensely inquisitive.

“What is it? What did he give you?”  
“Ah, ah, ah, his gift from me. Don’t get jealous.” Draco repeats, sniggering at Pansy’s furious expression.  
Despite her barrage of questions that follow, Draco doesn’t tell her. Neither does Blaise, although that’s probably because he would be mortified.

It was a ring, pure silver and inlaid with emeralds. An engagement ring. No wonder Blaise had such a reaction to it without the note.  
‘I, Draco Malfoy, hereby give you, Blaise Zabini, permission to date my best friend, Pansy Parkinson. I also promise to hex you to oblivion if you hurt her. So don’t be a dickhead. Also, at least one of your children has to be named after me, if you ever get around to actually asking her.’’

“Ok, ok, Pans! Here’s your present, darling, please don’t bite my head off.” Blaise finally cuts her off, handing over a large flat present.  
“Oooo! What is it?!” She squeals, instantly distracted.  
“It’s the most beautiful present I’ve ever given, so be appreciative.” He sniffs, chin far too high in the air to be anything but incredibly nervous.  
“Okayyyy…” She rips it open excitedly, holding out a large mirror. It’s edges are silver intertwined with gold, shaped like blossoms and branches and leaves. She turns it over. “It’s pretty!”

“Look inside it.” He watches her carefully as she stares into the mirror.  
“What? I only see myself.”  
“Exactly. The most beautiful present I’ve ever given.”  
Her face splits into a massive grin as she almost drops the mirror in her haste to hug him. “Awwwe! Blaiseyyyy you’re so sweeet!”

“I never thought I’d see Blaise do anything as sappy as that.” Theo whispers to Draco, watching Pansy squeeze Blaise to death.  
“Love makes people do weird things, I suppose.” Draco smiles.  
“Yeah. I suppose it does.”

“Don’t you have a present to give, Pans?” Blaise eventually manages to splutter out, delight at being suffocated glinting in his eyes.  
“Oh! Right!” Pansy abruptly lets him go, and claps her hands thrice. A house-elf, Kloppy, appears with a large kneazle in its arms. Pansy glides over, gathers the huge animal in her arms, and deposits the creature by Draco’s mother. “Merry Christmas, Narcissa.”

The kneazle, fur glittering white and grey, brushes against her legs with a deep purr. She reaches down, fingers running over its back, and her face glows with joy. “Thank you, Pansy. This is a wonderful gift. What is it called?”  
“You can decide! It was a stray, and it just looked so sad, so I took it in over the summer, and got it healthy again. My parents didn’t like it, but I thought you might want a friend! So it hasn’t got a name yet.”  
She nods, thoughtful. “I shall name it… Snowflake.”  
Snowflake shivers, letting out a soft meow. Draco’s mother chuckles lightly, standing slowly. “I suppose it is my turn to gift a present. Come, it is quite a while away.”

They all stand, giggling and admiring presents as they make their way through the Manor, avoiding all areas infected with dark magic. It made every journey through the house twice as long, but at least the gloom didn’t seep into their bones as they walked. Eventually, they arrived at a room, two doors down from Draco’s, which had been empty for as long as he could remember. Something to do with an infestation of doxies.  
“Theo, darling, this is your present.” She gestures to the door, stepping aside for him.

He glances at the others in bewilderment, but steps up and opens the door anyway.  
It’s a bedroom, decorated simply and comfortably, with the far windows looking out over the grounds. The bed is king-sized, as with most rooms, yet has light curtains trailing around it. Heavier versions of these hang beside the windows, able to cut off any light if necessary, along with gauze ones on the inside. There’s a wardrobe, vanity table, desk, bookshelf, and an easel.  
Theo stares, mouth opening and closing. “This… this is for me?” He questions faintly, eyes roaming the room.

“Yes, dear.” Draco’s mother’s voice is gentle, affectionate in a way only Draco has experienced before. “Whenever you need it, this is yours. It isn’t temporary. And while I know you may not want to live in this house, I know you need somewhere to stay. So this is yours, forever.”

“I don’t know what to say…” Theo’s eyes are rapidly filling with tears, which he wipes away desperately.  
“Don’t say anything. It’s the least we can do for you, and the house would be much warmer with you here.”  
Theo suddenly wraps her in a hug, which she accepts with a start of surprise. Draco looks back towards the room. Having Theo live with them would be… bizarre. But the Manor would be so much less empty and cold, and Theo would always be there, and maybe Draco would feel that much less alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evening falls, and Christmas is nearly over. Draco had never expected it to ever be this exhausting, but he’s happy and content, even if he can’t move an inch. It was the huge feast they’d just had which had finished him off, along with all of the house elves bombarding him with thanks for their presents.

Him, Blaise, and Theo are sharing his room, and Pansy is sleeping next door to his mother. There are plenty of rooms in the Manor, of course, but Christmas feels special enough that they don’t want to end it by going their separate ways. Draco and Theo are sharing his bed, whilst Blaise is already unconscious on the sofa. His light snores fill the room, probably caused by the overwhelming amounts of alcohol they’ve consumed.

“Draco?” Theo whispers beside him, his voice loud in the relative silence.  
“Hm?”  
“I never gave you your present.”  
“It’s fine, you can give me it tomorrow.”  
“I have it with me now. I couldn’t wrap it, so it won’t wake up Blaise.”

Draco flops onto his side, gradually making out the vague shape of Theo. “I won’t be able to see it.”  
“You will. Trust me.”  
“Alright then.”

Theo flips over, reaching over to his bedside table. Draco watches him curiously, examining the dip between his shoulder blades, and gazes at a box in Theo’s hand when he turns over. It looks similar to the one he gave Blaise, except larger and flatter.  
“Here. Open it.”  
He takes the box, letting his fingers glide over the soft material. Velvet. His fingers find the clasp, flick it open, and push open the lid.

Inside, there’s a pendant. Shaped like a dragon and emitting an ethereal glow, the pendant ripples as he touches it. The dragon yawns, its miniscule arms gripping his fingers, and the tiny silver creature opens one glimmering sapphire eye.  
“Theo… It’s beautiful.”  
“I thought you might like it. I saw it in the shop window as I was passing, and I just knew you had to have it.” Theo grins, a hand reaching out to brush through Draco’s hair.

“Merry Christmas, dragon.”


End file.
